Belief in destiny and fate is one of the basic beliefs of Islam. It means that Allaah is the Knower of all things and the Creator of all things; nothing exists outside of His will and decree. He created the universe. Everything in the universe, every creature and the things it does, is the creation of Allaah. Whatever He will happen, and whatever He does not will do not happen. Allah says:

وَجَعَلُوا لِلَّهِ أَندَادًا لِّيُضِلُّوا عَن سَبِيلِهِ قُلْ تَمَتَّعُوا فَإِنَّ مَصِيرَكُمْ إِلَى النَّارِ

“And they set up to Allah equals so that they mislead from His Path. Say, “Enjoy, but indeed, your destination (is) to the Fire.” (Surah Ibrahim 14:30)

Fate in the Quran is mentioned in a number of different ways with Allah telling us that He has decided our path and also with Him telling us that we are to strive to go towards His path and until we ourselves do not make an effort to change our circumstances Allah will not change them for us. Intentions matter and actions matter for fate to take effect. Allah says:

مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ وَمَن يُؤْمِن بِاللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُ وَاللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ

“Not strikes any disaster except by (the) permission (of) Allah. And whoever believes in Allah, He guides his heart. And Allah of everything (is) All-Knowing.” (Surah At-Taghabun 64:11)

Destiny teaches Muslims to make the most out of their resources and leave the results to God. Many successful people feel that their wealth and status are because they are smarter, wiser, stronger, or just more deserving of success than others.  But the truth is, they may have made certain choices, it is God who made those choices work out well for them.

Belief in destiny and fate is one of the basic beliefs of Islam, Allaah is the Knower of all things and the Creator of all things:

1. Fate is easy to imagine that his position  will be mysterious
2. Fate is the position when a man finds himself helpless
3. Fate and destiny have created the actions of the souls
4. Fate and destiny are commonly thought of as the same
5. Fate exists in the form of Kismet or Taqdir in Islam
6. Fate is a belief that whatever happens to a person
7. Fate and destiny is immensely a powerful force
8. Fate really no conclusive evidence to suggest
9. Fate is more of an inherent philosophical trait
10. Fate probably takes some shape or form
11. Fate is also a part of ‘Kismet’ in Islam
12. Destiny remains something of a mystery
13. Destiny is a force that one cannot control
14. Destiny in Islam isn’t a ‘straightforward’ path
15. One can change the destiny by your own effort
16. Destiny spans time, reason and the unpredictable
17. Destiny is the ultimate outcome of an individual’s life
18. Destiny itself evolves in the realm of finite possibilities
19. Destiny is strongly tied with an association to a creator
20. Destiny is a far greater manifestation of this simple analogy

Allah has told us that we, His creation, are responsible for our own destinies and fate and He has told us this in the Quran again and again. Allah says to us that whoever follows His path even to a small extent, Allah will bless the person and reward him with a lot of things. This includes long life, happiness, family and blessings that will contribute to the Hereafter of the person.

There are some points which, everyone should keep in mind :

1. God is the Only Sustainer of the whole universe and He is the Most Merciful. “Praise belongs to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy…” (Quran 1:1-2)
2. God has created humans in the finest state. “We have certainly created man in the best of stature.” (95:4)
3. The primary objective of human life is to worship God.  It must be noted that the Islamic concept of worship encompasses all human endeavours that are pursued just ends, and in accordance with God’s commandments. “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Quran, 51:56)
4. Our life is a test and we’ll be judged for our actions in the hereafter. God says in the Quran, “Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion; and He over all things hath Power; He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” (Quran 67:1-2)
5. He’s All-Wise, and He tests us according to our strength.  “God does not burden any soul with more than it can bear: each gains whatever good it has done, and suffers its bad.” (Quran 2:286)

Many people protest that if God controls everything, why does He allow massacres of innocent people, torture, disease and the worst forms of evil to exist? Indeed, Islam does not ascribe evil to God. God allows tragedy and misery to take place in this world for reasons which often escape humans; it could be a test for those people, a form of purification, or a warning for the rest of us to rehabilitate our lives. Allah says:

وَكَأَيِّن مِّن قَرْيَةٍ أَمْلَيْتُ لَهَا وَهِيَ ظَالِمَةٌ ثُمَّ أَخَذْتُهَا وَإِلَيَّ الْمَصِيرُ

“And how many of a township I gave respite to it, while it (was) doing wrong. Then I seized it and to Me (is) the destination.” (Surah Al-Hajj 22:48)

Negative thoughts are from Satan and Satan’s plots are always weak when we seek the help of Allah the All-Powerful, The Master of everything, and everyone in the heavens and the earth.  A person is not forced to obey or disobey Allah – he has free will as befits his state, but it is subject to the will of the Creator. Allah says:

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّبِيُّ جَاهِدِ الْكُفَّارَ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ وَاغْلُظْ عَلَيْهِمْ وَمَأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

“O Prophet! Strive (against) the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and be stern with them. And their abode (is) Hell and wretched is the destination.” (Surah At-Tahrim 66:9)

Islam is a religion in which faith is based on clear proof. Many people, including Muslims, are amazed by the concept of fate and destiny. They do not understand how much freedom they have. They are not sure whether they have the opportunity to make their own decisions or whether Allah has restricted them in a certain way.

Islam is a religion of peace, Allah states the following in verses:

• “Truly the religion with Allah is Islam.” (Quran: 3:19)
• “Guidance for those conscious of Allah.” (Quran, 2:2)
• “Then We will save the ones who had taqwa.“ (Quran, 19:72)
• “It describes reconciliation as the best policy.” (Quran: 4:128)
• “Have taqwa of Allah so that you might succeed.” (Quran, 3:200)
• “And whoever fears Allah, He will make for his ease in his matter.” (Quran, 65:4)
• “Only what God has decreed will happen to us. He is our Master: let the believers put their trust in God.” (Quran 9:51)
• “Allah never changes the condition of people until they strive to change themselves.” (Quran 13:11)

One may become disheartened or vexed about disastrous events in their life. We are just human and it is normal to respond to a specific route when disaster comes to pass for us. In any case, the Muslim comprehends that regardless of how troublesome said catastrophe is, it was the desire and will of Allah, and we can’t let it deaden us.

وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا وَكَذَّبُوا بِآيَاتِنَا أُولَٰئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ

“But those who disbelieved and denied [in] Our Verses, those (are the) companions (of) the Fire, abiding forever therein. And wretched is the destination.” (At-Taghabun 64:10)

Destiny is defined as “the event (or direction of the event) that will necessarily occur in the future”. There is nothing inevitable. Allah has power over everything. Allah is the master of fate. An individual has the opportunity, the decision, to do as he/she needs. We have no influence over the result of those decisions. The result of these decisions is our predetermination. Only Allah knows what this fate is. Allah says:

وَكُلَّ إِنسَانٍ أَلْزَمْنَاهُ طَائِرَهُ فِي عُنُقِهِ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ كِتَابًا يَلْقَاهُ مَنشُورًا

“And (for) every man We have fastened to him his fate in his neck, and We will bring forth for him (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection a record which he will find wide open.” (Surah Al-Isra` 17:13)

The belief in divine destiny is also a great source of courage.  When we know that no calamity or harm can touch us without the will of God and the time of our death is prefixed, we lead a righteous and valiant life. Don’t give up or lose hope ever. Allah says:

قُلْ أَذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌ أَمْ جَنَّةُ الْخُلْدِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَزَاءً وَمَصِيرًا

Say, “Is that better or Garden (of) Eternity, which is promised (to) the righteous? It will be for them a reward and destination.” (Al-Furqan 25:15)

Allah tells us again and again in the Quran to call unto him when we are in trouble doesn’t He? That is Allah asking us to change our destinies with our own acts. For when we call unto Allah we are directed towards Him and when we are directed towards Him, He makes it his responsibility to keep us on track. May Allah keep all of us on the right path and enable us to shape our destinies in a way that would please Allah. Ameen.